Buffy meets the Phantom!
by Spacewheat76
Summary: SU puts on a production of The Phantom of the Opera! But it's not all fun and games.. Sweet's in town and everyone's under his musical spell. Even the newly awakened Faith Lehane. And the cast list is sure to ruffle a few feathers with B cast as Christine, Riley as Raoul and.. Faith as the Phantom? Stay tuned!


Buffy Meets the Phantom

Summary: SU puts on a production of The Phantom of the Opera! But it's not all fun and games.. Sweet's in town and everyone's under his musical spell. Even the newly awakened Faith Lehane. And the cast list is sure to ruffle a few feathers with B cast as Christine, Riley as Raoul and.. Faith as the Phantom? Stay tuned!

Author's Note: Man, oh man, I've been wanting to write this for a really long time. My favorite TV show meets my favorite musical.. So much angst and so much FUFFY. :) There will be fifteen chapters beginning with the overture and ending with the credits. You can follow along by checking out the Phantom of the Opera major motion picture soundtrack. The theme of each chapter will relate to the theme of each song. Anyways, read and review. This takes place in Season four instead of _This Year's Girl_.

Chapter 1: Overture

Buffy Summers woke up feeling jovial and energetic. She sat up in her dorm bed, stretched her arms above her head and yawned expressively. The sun was coming in through the windows in thick golden rays. It was a great day to be alive. It was Tuesday. The slayer was in a wonderful mood. She got up, did a quick forward bend, and then jumped once or twice just to get her blood flowing. Willow Rosenberg, who was trying to sleep a just few feet away opened one eye curiously and covered a yawn with the edge of her pillow.

"Hey, um, Buffy?" she said, her voice sleepy and calm, "Everything okay?"

"Oh!" The blonde hurried over to her best friend and then knelt by her side. "Good morning Will. I'm sorry I woke you but isn't it just a _great day_?"

Buffy's expression of serotonin was contagious and after a moment, the redhead could feel it too. She pushed herself up on her arms, her blanket falling off her shoulders and revealing her rainbow striped pajamas. "It does seem like a really good day," Willow quipped, suddenly much more awake. "You're right."

Buffy hopped back to her feet and then went to the window and threw it open. "Right? I don't know what's up but I like it." She leaned out into the open air and took a deep breath. "I almost feel like singing." She shrugged and then turned back around. "Or at least taking a walk. You up?"

"I'm up," Willow replied, clambering to her feet. "Showers and then coffee? I'll call Xander and we can hang at _Espresso Pump_."

"Cool," the blonde returned. "I could go for a nice steamy mug of java."

Post shower, the two met back up in the room, finished getting ready, got some books and stuff together as if they'd actually study, and then headed out to cross campus. The sky was clear and a lovely shade of cyan. The breeze was soft and comfortably cool and pushed against them gently, without messing up their hair. Buffy stopped in the middle of a sidewalk and spun around slowly, looking up at the sky.

"I mean, I'm diggin' the weather and good mood but I'm kinda starting to feel a little suspicious."

"Things are seldom good in Sunnydale for no reason," Willow replied, "it's true."

The slayer pushed her hands into the pockets of her jeans and kept walking. "Hey let's be hopeful. Maybe it's a good time fella demon and he's gonna bring the fun in?"

"But at what cost?" Willow asked her. "I mean demons are usually not so big on the fun and stuff, right?"

"Usually not," Buffy said. "But maybe we just haven't came across any cool ones yet. I mean they can't all be bad, right?"

"Angel wasn't," Willow stated and instantly regretted it. Angel was a still a sensitive subject. It was kind of unspoken that the less he was brought up, the better. "Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to.."

"It's fine," Buffy gave her a soft smile. "I mean it's fine now. And you're right. He wasn't bad. So maybe there are others that aren't so bad. And maybe Adam will stay hidden and all the vampires will take a mini vaca and we can just keep on enjoying this good day, right?" She linked her arm with Willow's. "Besides, the sun doesn't go down for at least another ten hours so I say we party."

_Espresso Pump _was bustling with customers but Xander had already secured them a table so they beat the crowd. Anya was sitting beside him, inspecting a packet of sweet-n-low.

"There are so many little words on this," she said to no one in particular. "Is there really that much to say about a granulated artificial sweetener made primarily of saccharin? Can't they just say _almost as good as sugar_ and leave it at that? And what's with the music notes? This packet isn't making any sounds at all." She began to riffle through the others as Buffy and Willow took their seats.

"Good to see you too Anya," Buffy said, one eyebrow raised. And then to Xander, "I got a twenty. Who's buyin' the joe?"

"I'll make with the coffee purchasin'," Willow replied and took the bill out of her friend's outstretched hand. "Plain and we'll doctor 'em up at the table?"

"Call me queen of sugar substitutes," Buffy replied happily, taking the sweet-n-low out of Anya's hand.

The ex-vengeance demon huffed. "Sometimes I feel like I talk and talk and talk and all of you just ignore me."

"We do our very best," Buffy told her, chipper and sarcastic.

Xander patted Anya on the shoulder. "The name has something to do with music. And singing. Highs and lows. I'm not sure where _sweet_ came from."

"I got a kingdom down below actually," a lyrical voice chimed in, stepping up to the table just as Willow sat down three paper cups of coffee. The stranger was a sight but oddly enough, no one in the cafe seemed to be worried. He was tall and wearing a robin's egg blue suit and pointed shoes. He had a pointed chin and pointed ears and the entirety of his skin was a ruby red. "I'm Sweet," he said to the group. "And you," he continued, turning directly to Buffy, "must be the Slayer."

"That's one of my many titles," Buffy replied, nodding. "In social settings I usually just go by Buffy." She took her coffee and held it in her hands but didn't drink. "So it depends on you. Is this a social call or do I get to break in my new boots by kicking your ass all over this cafe?"

Sweet chuckled lightly and then held up his hands. "No need for violence. I'm just here for the twist and shout." He snapped his fingers and a brochure appeared in his hand. "And to recruit only the best of the best to be in my new production." He slapped the glossy folded paper down in middle of the table. "SU is putting on _The Phantom of the Opera _and I want _you," _he pointed a sharp nailed red finger at Buffy, "to be my star."

"Keep dreamin' Red," Xander laughed. "Buffy doesn't sing."

"She can and she will," he said. "You all will. I have roles for all of the slayer's closest pals."

Willow took the pamphlet in her hands and flipped it over. "Meg Giry," she exclaimed, "she's a main character!"

"And you'll do great," Sweet told her, flashing a smile and revealing a perfect set of pearly teeth. "I'm really not interested in your singing ability anyway."

Willow was mortified. The last time she'd sang had been during the talent show in high school and that had pretty much been a disaster.

Anya took a turn glancing over the names. "Carlotta and Piangi," she looked pleased. "You're kinda skinny for Piangi but whatever." Xander saw his name on the brochure and gulped. He wasn't big on stage performance either.

"Listen," Buffy said, not bothering to read the cast list, "I don't know who you think you are waltzing in here on our good day and telling us what we're going to do. I'm the slayer remember? She who slays vampires and demons? And I don't want to alarm you, but you look like a big ole demon."

"It's a nonrefundable contract. I'm here until the play is done. And if you want to fight it then.. Well the party is only beginning." He clapped his big beefy red hands together and everyone in the cafe, aside from the Scoobies stood up and began to dance to some unheard music. Some tap danced, some did the salsa or the tango or the waltz. Others just flailed around without rhythm. But to the group's horror, the longer they danced, the faster they got, until smoke began to rise from their bodies and..

"Enough!" Buffy shouted. "Stop."

Sweet clapped again and the dancing stopped. The customers, dazed, returned to their seats or stumbled out of the building confused. "That's what it's all about," the demon told them, his eyes twinkling. "So what do you say? How about we dance awhile?"

Buffy looked around the table. Maybe it was part of his charm or maybe she really was having too good of a day. Besides, she thought, what could it hurt? Xander looked a little confused and Willow a little terrified but Anya at least looked excited. "I mean, as long as you're not going to force anyone else to dance," she said, "It could be fun, right guys?"

"That's the soul I was searchin' for," he crooned, giving her a wink. "See you tonight at the dress rehearsal." He snapped his fingers again and in his left hand appeared a cane. He spun around on it and then bowed expressively, before turning around and exiting the cafe with an obvious pep in his step.

Not a single customer in the cafe seemed any the wiser. The Scoobies looked at Buffy and Buffy looked at them. It was a long moment that was ultimately broken when she said, "Well who's my Raoul? Who's Phantom?"

Xander gulped his coffee and tossed her the brochure. "Not sure. It says _to be announced_ for both of them."


End file.
